The present invention relates to a training device for developing muscles of the neck, thereby reducing the chances of serious injury in contact sports.
It has been recognized that training exercises to strengthen neck muscles reduce the chance of injury in contact sports, such as football. Additionally, neck exercises may be prescribed for rehabilitation following an injury. Accordingly, various types of neck exercising devices have previously been proposed. For example, a traction type device is proposed in the Bustamante U.S. Pat. No. 2,791,999; a harness-like device for attaching weights to the head is proposed in the Kinne U.S. Pat. No. 2,855,202; and a device for exercising neck muscles through pivotal movement resisted by a hydraulic damping device such as an automobile or motorcycle-type shock absorber is disclosed in the Brentham U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,259. With the Brentham neck exerciser, depending upon the orientation of the user with respect to the device, neck muscles may be exercised through hydraulically-resisted pivotal movement with either side-to-side or front-to-back head motion.
Nevertheless, prior to the present invention, there remained a need for a portable yet versatile neck developer which would facilitate complete exercise for the various muscles of the neck, and which readily accommodates persons of different head sizes, strengths and heights.